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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Josh Bell is a talented middle school basketball player, as is his twin brother Jordan. They learned from their dad, Chuck “Da Man,” who played in the Euroleague before retiring from the game. When Jordan gets a girlfriend, Josh resents that his twin no longer does as much with him, and he takes his frustration out on the court during a game one day, almost breaking Jordan’s nose. It creates a huge rift between the boys and gets Josh banned from playing. The tension between the brothers is wonderfully portrayed within the greater dynamic of their African American family. Meanwhile, their mom, principal of the boys’ middle school, is also worried about their doctor-averse dad’s health. This element of the plot builds to a moment readers can see coming when their dad has a heart attack, yet it’s shocking when he dies. Kwame Alexander’s narrative has two styles — straightforward prose poems and vibrant, rap-like poems in which Josh describes the basketball action. Josh also likes language and occasional poems have Josh exploring the meaning of specific words that connect to what’s happening in his life. Josh’s voice is vivid, funny, and moving in this fast-paced and poignant story. (Ages 10–13)

CCBC Choices 2015 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2015. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

November 1, 2019
Alexander's Newbery Medal-winning verse novel of the same name (rev. 5/14), about African American twins and middle-school b-ballers Josh and JB Bell, is an ideal choice for graphic-novel adaptation, with its on-court action, swaggering narrative voice, and poignant emotional pitches. Anyabwile's (of Alexander's Rebound, rev. 7/18, and the graphic novel version of Walter Dean Myers's Monster) angular, comics-style illustrations in shades of black and white-and, appropriately for a basketball story, orange-dynamically share space on the pages with the hand-lettered-looking text. Every mid-game scuffle, fast break, and "KERPLUNK / TO THE FLOOR. FOUL" comes alive in the motion-filled art. Yet the same goes for the story's more tender social interactions ("and just like that JB and the new girl are sipping sweet tea together"), moments of familial intimacy, and later scenes of heartbreak surrounding the boys' father. The original novel's success mingling accessible poetry with basketball, middle-school dynamics, and Black boyhood is reinforced in Anyabwile's impressive visual interpretation. Katrina Hedeen

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

July 1, 2019
Grades 5-8 This adaptation of Alexander's Newbery-winning novel in verse brings each character and event to life through Anyabwile's dynamic line work and portions of Alexander's beautiful poetry. The artwork, in a palette of black, white, gray, and orange, evokes the imagery of the basketball, ensuring that readers feel Josh Bell's experiences come to life. Josh and his brother, Jordan, sons of a basketball legend, rule the court, especially when they cooperate. But when the two find themselves growing further apart, as hormones increase and a girl enters the picture, life on and off the court falls into chaos. Although larger portions of the text in this adaptation exist in prose form, the poetry of the novel still exists at various stages to bring readers back to Alexander's original lively style. An energetic and lively re-envisioning, this transformation of the original text into a combination of visuals, poetry, and changing font styles will be sure to engage young readers who are both familiar and unfamiliar with Alexander's original work.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

From Horn Book

July 1, 2019
This graphic-novel adaption of Alexander's Newbery Medal-winning verse novel, about African American twins and middle-school b-ballers Josh and JB Bell, retains all the on-court drama, swaggering narrative voice, and poignant emotional pitches of the original. The basketball action comes alive in the angular, motion-filled art, in shades of black, white, and (aptly) orange; the art also captures the story's more tender social interactions, moments of familial intimacy, and later scenes of heartbreak surrounding the boys' father's death.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Publisher's Weekly

June 24, 2019
In this graphic novel adaptation of Alexander's 2015 Newbery-winning novel, Anyabwile's clean lines, athletic characters, and free-form layouts capture the fluid poetry of basketball and the helplessness and confusion of early adolescence. Middle school basketball star Josh "Filthy McNasty" Bell navigates sibling rivalry with his twin brother, JB, on and off the court. The two are neither clones nor opposites; they share plenty, but Josh tends to brood while JB runs cool. Josh's jealousy over JB's first girlfriend, Alexis, eventually takes a backseat to their father Chuck's escalating health problems. A former Euroleague champion sidelined by a knee injury, Chuck has always been averse to medical treatment, provoking a family crisis. Alexander's complex, affectionate family portrait is augmented by Anyabwile's dynamic characterizations; when the boys' father gets in a ref's face and their mother pulls him back, each character's pain is palpable on the page. With confident strokes and choice details-likenesses of rappers attending "five reasons I have locks," movement-filled moments on the court, and a close-up on a saltshaker alongside an explanation of hypertension-the graphic version brings out the best in the original, as any good teammate should. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 10—12.

From Horn Book

March 1, 2015
Middle schooler Josh "Filthy McNasty" Bell, along with his twin brother Jordan "JB," is a star basketball player. JB's romance with a new girl at school provokes a growing rift between the brothers, but a greater loss in the family ultimately unites them in grief and healing. Narrator Allen's heartfelt performance of Alexander's Newbery-winning verse novel highlights the verses' rhythmic cadence and their seemingly effortless rhyme without sacrificing fluent storytelling. megan dowd lambert

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

October 1, 2014
Gr 5-9-Everything seems to be going right for Josh "Filthy McNasty" Bell. His life has always been defined by two things: being a twin and being a great basketball player. When his brother Jordan gets a girlfriend, the boys' relationship becomes strained. To make matters worse, Josh is suspended from the team, and their father's health starts going downhill. With his life falling apart, Josh starts doing a lot of soul searching and wondering if there is more to life than basketball. Narrator Corey Allen brings a unique dimension to Alexander's ("He Said, She Said") tale. Although Allen's poetic pace takes a little getting used to, his intonation gives realistic, unique dimension to the voice of a teenage boy. Other voices are easily distinguished and seem fitting. The plot, though relatively simple, is well developed and full of energy. Jazz, reading, hip-hop, and school life are blended together with finesse and engage the listener. Avid and reluctant readers who like sports, coming-of-age stories, and realistic fiction will enjoy listening to this work.-"Kira Moody, Whitmore Library, Salt Lake City, UT"

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from March 1, 2014

Gr 6-10-Twins Josh and Jordan are junior high basketball stars, thanks in large part to the coaching of their dad, a former professional baller who was forced to quit playing for health reasons, and the firm, but loving support of their assistant-principal mom. Josh, better known as Filthy McNasty, earned his nickname for his enviable skills on the court: ."..when Filthy gets hot/He has a SLAMMERIFIC SHOT." In this novel in verse, the brothers begin moving apart from each other for the first time. Jordan starts dating the "pulchritudinous" Miss Sweet Tea, and Josh has a tough time keeping his jealousy and feelings of abandonment in control. Alexander's poems vary from the pulsing, aggressive beats of a basketball game ("My shot is F L O W I N G, Flying, fluttering.... ringaling and SWINGALING/Swish. Game/over") to the more introspective musings of a child struggling into adolescence ("Sit beside JB at dinner. He moves./Tell him a joke. He doesn't even smile....Say I'm sorry/but he won't listen"). Despite his immaturity, Josh is a likable, funny, and authentic character. Underscoring the sports and the fraternal tension is a portrait of a family that truly loves and supports one another. Alexander has crafted a story that vibrates with energy and heart and begs to be read aloud. A slam dunk.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from January 20, 2014
Josh Bell, known on and off the court by the nickname Filthy McNasty, doesn't lack self-confidence, but neither does he lack the skills to back up his own mental in-game commentary: "I rise like a Learjet-/ seventh-graders aren't supposed to dunk./ But guess what?/ I snatch the ball out of the air and/ SLAM!/ YAM! IN YOUR MUG!" Josh is sure that he and his twin brother, JB, are going pro, following in the footsteps of their father, who played professional ball in Europe. But Alexander (He Said, She Said) drops hints that Josh's trajectory may be headed back toward Earth: his relationship with JB is strained by a new girl at school, and the boys' father health is in increasingly shaky territory. The poems dodge and weave with the speed of a point guard driving for the basket, mixing basketball action with vocabulary-themed poems, newspaper clippings, and Josh's sincere first-person accounts that swing from moments of swagger-worthy triumph to profound pain. This verse novel delivers a real emotional punch before the final buzzer. Ages 9—12. Agent: East West Literary Agency.

From Kirkus

Starred review from January 15, 2014
Basketball-playing twins find challenges to their relationship on and off the court as they cope with changes in their lives. Josh Bell and his twin, Jordan, aka JB, are stars of their school basketball team. They are also successful students, since their educator mother will stand for nothing else. As the two middle schoolers move to a successful season, readers can see their differences despite the sibling connection. After all, Josh has dreadlocks and is quiet on court, and JB is bald and a trash talker. Their love of the sport comes from their father, who had also excelled in the game, though his championship was achieved overseas. Now, however, he does not have a job and seems to have health problems the parents do not fully divulge to the boys. The twins experience their first major rift when JB is attracted to a new girl in their school, and Josh finds himself without his brother. This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story. Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From AudioFile Magazine

Alexander's lyrical free verse and Corey Allen's musical narration are as magical a combination as this story's pairing of basketball and poetry. Allen blends rhyming, hip-hop, and jazzy words into a melodic flow. His tones switch like a fast-changing crossover dribble as he narrates from the viewpoint of 13-year-old Jordan Bell aka "Filthy McNasty." Filthy crows with cockiness, taunting his twin brother in a pick-up game, then is immediately meek at his mother's stern reminder to clean his filthy room. In one moment Filthy is on the court trash-talking his father, formerly a famous basketball player. Seconds later, he's plunged into a life-or-death situation. Allen maintains the tension throughout the sibling rivalry, athletic competition, and sudden tragedy. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine